


House and Home

by ZolphDiggler



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:27:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24571534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZolphDiggler/pseuds/ZolphDiggler
Summary: Ann's room wasn't exactly Ryuji's preferred venue for studying for multiple reason, but even the most unproductive study session can bring some things to light.
Relationships: Sakamoto Ryuji/Takamaki Ann
Comments: 7
Kudos: 45





	House and Home

“Ugggh would you quit spacing out. We gotta actually get some studying done today. You don't wanna be seen as the total dummy dating the new smartest girl in school do you?” 

As little as he was worried about that for multiple reasons, the admonishment from his girlfriend was enough to get Ryuji to tear his concentration away from his current train of thought, back to the example test questions in front of him. He wasn't entirely sure how grateful he was to Ann for that. With midterms coming up the two now third year students had decided to devote their after school time to studying with one another. The fact that having one of the more academically gifted friends join them would probably be for the best wasn't lost on them, but then neither was the fact the session were at least in part just an excuse to be alone together.

“Ain't my fault there's so much distracting shit in here.” It was actually the first time he had been in her room, Ann usually being oddly stubborn about meeting at Ryuji's house instead. The abundance reds, rows of clothes and piles of beauty products hadn't been much of a surprise to him, and that he couldn't keep focused in the least even less of one.

“Oh really? Anything in particular giving you bother?” asked the woman who would usually be the biggest distraction of them all as she lay on her stomach, textbook on one side of her bed whilst her long, bare kicks playfully kicked at the air on the other side. His mind had actually been elsewhere this time, but he didn't miss the opportunity to try and play it off.

“I can think of one yeah. Y'know, instead of all this math stuff we could just be making out right now? Just saying.”

“That does sound nice.” Ann replied, scooting her body slightly to the left and reaching out as if to stroke his cheek, before electing instead to give said cheek a sharp pinch. “Which is why we didn't get jack done yesterday! Knock it off leading me on and get back to work!”

“Hey I didn't hear you complaining at the time.” Ryuji grumbled, nursing his poor cheek. He couldn't help but smirk at just how much he'd enjoy the rather unproductive nature of the evening before. The unexpected early return of his mother that resulted in the swift and clumsy untangling of limbs, and the glare he got from all but launching Ann to the other end of the couch in panic was a slight blemish sure, but that she had stayed for dinner indicated she apparently wasn't that mad about it.

“Like I said, not like I hate the idea. Math is the last thing I wanna pay any attention to even when you aren't around, but the only reason I have to deal with this stuff today is because we goofed around so much last night, so lets just try to knock it on the head?”

“Why do I even gotta learn this stuff anyway? I can count my macros and track my weight and muscle mass already, so what's all this cosine tangent stuff gotta do with anything?”

“Good question.” Ann responded with a click of her tongue, “You should ask the examiners that. Better yet, ask Makoto. But first let's just get this done.” Finding her suggestion daunting to say the least and coming to terms that she wasn't going to indulge in his proposed distraction, in his sulk he found his thoughts returning to what had actually been the captor of his attention. Just how nice this damn apartment was. Ryuji had known as soon as he had even entered the building just how stark the differences between his own apartment and hers was, the electronic gate and long elevator ride not at all being familiar. The interior of the luxury apartment hadn't proven him wrong either, with the wall mounted television that made him doubt it would even fit on one of his walls, and live in bathroom full of designer soaps and hair products that made the bathhouse he would visit seem both uninviting and redundant. Even Ann's room itself stood in harsh contrast to his own, with articles of clothing that he was certain cost more than his entire wardrobe arrange perfectly rather than thrown in a corner, and the top floor view from the window being far more appealing than his sparsely adorned walls. That being said, the rather blatant examples of organised mess that had almost certainly just been regular mess before the threat of company changed that helped remind him precisely which unorthodox uptown girl's room he was actually in.

“Gotta say, I'm glad I brought you over to my place first.” Ryuji ruefully admitted, more out loud and to himself than anything. “I'd probably be too embarrassed to invite you over now.”

“Huh? I don't get it.”

“Oh uhh well I mean you can show me the question but I probably don't know it eithe-”

“Not that you dolt!” Ryuji's eyes left his textbook and darted in surprise towards Ann, who apparently had also set hers aside in order to sit up and address her boyfriend's ramblings. To be fair to him she hadn't gotten the question she was currently stuck on either, but that was besides the point. “Why wouldn't you want to invite me over any more?”

“Look it's just...” Ryuji struggled to keep eye contact or find the words before settling on “Your place is just really...nice compared to mine. That's all. It's just...nice here” Not unaware of the differences in their dwellings herself Ann didn't need to be told anything else to get what he was saying, as surprised as she was and as disappointed as that made her.

“Good job you didn't fall for Haru then huh?” Ann said trying to lighten the mood. Disappointed when it brought on little more than a dismissive roll of his eyes, Ann instead decided to try her other tried and tested strategy when it came to Ryuji, that being a through explanation on how wrong he was. “There's a reason why I'm always wanting to meet up at your place y'know? I like it whole lot more over there than I do here.” Noticing the skepticism in the face he was pulling she continued. “You know how my parents are away on work so often right? It's not like I dislike living alone or anything, but a three person apartment with one person in it starts to feel pretty empty after a while. Everything looks all nice, but that's just kinda down to how rarely anyone's here to mess it up. Everything feels so...sterile. It's nothing like your place, that's why I love it so much over there. I mean sure it's small, but between you and your mom everything's just feels so alive, so lived in. When we're snuggling on a couch obviously too small for us, or sitting eating a home cooked meal together with everyone rather than just grabbing whatever my caretaker stuffed in the fridge, I start to feel more at home than I ever have here. Getting to feel like almost part of the family is really...well that what I think is really nice.” Ann finished her summation, flashing an embarrassed smile at Ryuji as he processed what he had just been given. She hoped she hadn't said anything too out of order. “Hey I know it's been tough for you and your mom growing up alone together, so sorry if me being a little envious of what you have makes me seem a bit... I dunno, petty?”

“Nah that ain't it at all.” Ryuji cut off her unneeded apology, having managed to form a response. “I just hadn't thought about it that way is all. Oh and I'm glad and all, but knock it off with that almost like family crap eh?” Ann recoiled slightly thinking she may have overstepped before he clarified. “You are like family right? I-I mean not officially or anything yet obviously, but like that's not the only thing that matters right? Damn what am I even tryin to say here...” Ryuji was starting to wish he'd been paying more attention in composition at least, in the hope it might have helped him get across what he was trying to say.

“Sooo not officially yet huh? As in...you're already planning on changing that someday?” Ann asked, those gorgeous eyes staring right at him through her long sculpted eyelashes, and her inviting lips tilted up in a mischievous smirk. It was a look he was quickly growing accustomed to, though her teasing generally had his head hurting as much as it got his heart racing. For better or worse she understood him just fine.

“Look, if you know what it is I'm trying to say, don't go egging me on into saying embarrassing shit huh?” Had he not known her better that's likely where he would have left it, but the subtle stilted delivery, uneven breathing and momentary aside glance in her eyes let him know that her confidence was in part an act. That she was genuinely curious for an actual answer. “Course I wanna make it official, for us to get...hitched, married, whatever someday. I mean c'mon guy like me and a gal like you, I'd have to be totally off my rocker to not want that one day right?” The overwhelming heat he felt enveloping him as he bared it all made feel suddenly rather sympathetic to all the Shadows he had seen disintegrated by Ann's flames. Seeing her glow come to match his own and her smile quickly shift from a smirk to a starry eyed grin, as she bounded from her bed and straddled his lap and wrapped her arms around him certainly help though.

“I changed my mind. Let's make out.”

He didn't object. They were pretty sure the blissful high they both felt lasted all the way until the exams scores were posted.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short and mostly sweet scenario that popped into my head whilst cooking up a somewhat heavier story. It's not my fault these two are a source of boundless inspiration. Feedback and critique is immensely valued as always.


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